2018 United States Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Kimi Räikkönen ended his long wait for another Formula 1 victory with a brilliantly judged United States Grand Prix. Max Verstappen charged from 18th to second, while Lewis Hamilton finished third as the championship celebrations were postponed.

Pole position
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:32.237
Fastest lap
Driver	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
Time	1:37.392 on lap 40
Podium
First	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari
Second	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing
Third	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
19 October 2018	Practice 1	10:00 – 11:30
19 October 2018	Practice 2	14:00 – 15:30
20 October 2018	Practice 3	13:00 – 14:00
20 October 2018	Qualifying	16:00 – 17:00
21 October 2018	Race	13:10

All times are local (UTC-05:00). The race time is the scheduled start.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton reached the Circuit of the Americas with a 67-point lead over Sebastian Vettel in the 2018 F1 World Championship. A sixth victory in Austin was within his sights, but Ferrari and Red Bull Racing would turn the race into one of the season’s most absorbing contests.

Race entries

The regular race field remained unchanged. Lando Norris replaced Stoffel Vandoorne at McLaren for FP1, while Sean Gelael drove Brendon Hartley‘s Toro Rosso.

Free Practice

Wet conditions greeted the opening session. Lewis Hamilton set a 1:47.502, more than a second ahead of Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen, as teams balanced useful running against the risk of damage.

Persistent rain delayed meaningful running in FP2. Lewis Hamilton again went quickest, recording a 1:48.716, with Pierre Gasly second and Max Verstappen third. Several drivers finished without a timed lap.

Saturday brought a clearer indication of the dry-weather order. Sebastian Vettel led FP3 on 1:33.797, just 0.046 seconds ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, with Lewis Hamilton close behind in third.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2018 United States Grand Prix FP1, 19 October 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:47.502	6
2	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+1.304s	7
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.345s	9
4	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.824s	9
5	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+1.987s	18
6	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+2.426s	20
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+3.163s	8
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+3.319s	10
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+3.459s	14
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+3.514s	14
11	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.534s	9
12	47	Lando Norris	McLaren	+3.730s	9
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+3.732s	19
14	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+3.957s	18
15	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+4.087s	14
16	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+4.112s	15
17	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+4.153s	17
18	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+4.215s	7
19	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+4.394s	14
20	38	Sean Gelael	Toro Rosso	+5.123s	21

Free Practice 2 Classification

2018 United States Grand Prix FP2, 19 October 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:48.716	3
2	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.012s	10
3	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+1.082s	5
4	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+3.012s	3
5	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+3.492s	6
6	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+3.789s	19
7	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+4.354s	9
8	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+4.638s	10
9	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+4.727s	7
10	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	+5.196s	8
11	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+5.385s	9
12	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+5.921s	5
13	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+6.247s	6
14	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+6.632s	6
15	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+6.730s	8
16	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	No time	2
—	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	No time	0
—	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	No time	0
—	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	No time	0
—	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	No time	0

Valtteri Bottas, Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen did not run in the wet conditions; they are included without classified positions. Carlos Sainz completed two laps without setting a time.

Free Practice 3 Classification

2018 United States Grand Prix FP3, 20 October 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:33.797	20
2	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.046s	21
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	+0.073s	23
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	+0.759s	21
5	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	+0.906s	21
6	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	+1.113s	20
7	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	+1.568s	21
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	+1.614s	21
9	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	+1.653s	21
10	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	+1.671s	19
11	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	+1.765s	22
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	+1.916s	27
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	+1.973s	19
14	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	+2.085s	19
15	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	+2.203s	21
16	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	+2.391s	21
17	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	+2.396s	20
18	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	+2.505s	23
19	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	+2.533s	26
20	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+2.535s	20

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton secured pole with a 1:32.237, only 0.061 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Kimi Räikkönen was another nine thousandths behind Vettel, underlining how tightly matched Mercedes and Ferrari were over one lap.

Sebastian Vettel‘s three-place penalty for failing to slow sufficiently under red flags moved him to fifth on the grid and promoted Kimi Räikkönen to the front row. Max Verstappen damaged his suspension on a kerb in Q1 and could not take part in Q2; a gearbox penalty left him starting 18th.

Qualifying Classification

2018 United States Grand Prix Qualifying, 20 October 2018

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1:34.130	1:33.480	1:32.237	20
2	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	1:34.569	1:33.079	1:32.298	18
3	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:34.703	1:32.884	1:32.307	15
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	1:34.518	1:33.702	1:32.616	17
5	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	1:34.755	1:34.185	1:33.494	14
6	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	1:34.876	1:34.522	1:34.145	18
7	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	1:34.932	1:34.564	1:34.215	18
8	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	1:34.892	1:34.419	1:34.250	17
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	1:35.069	1:34.255	1:34.420	17
10	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	1:35.193	1:34.525	1:34.594	17
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	1:34.891	1:34.566	—	12
12	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	1:34.972	1:34.732	—	12
13	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	1:34.850	No time	—	13
14	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	1:35.206	No time	—	13
15	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	1:34.766	No time	—	4
16	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:35.294	—	—	6
17	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	1:35.362	—	—	6
18	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	1:35.480	—	—	8
19	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	1:35.536	—	—	8
20	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	1:35.735	—	—	6

Sebastian Vettel received a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently during a red flag period in Free Practice 1.

Pierre Gasly received a 35-place grid penalty for exceeding his quota of power unit elements.

Brendon Hartley received a 40-place grid penalty: 35 places for exceeding his quota of power unit elements and 5 places for an unscheduled gearbox change.

Max Verstappen received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change.

What happened in the 2018 United States Grand Prix?

Kimi Räikkönen used his softer starting tyres to beat Lewis Hamilton into the first corner. Sebastian Vettel‘s afternoon immediately became more complicated when contact with Daniel Ricciardo sent him spinning and dropped him down the order.

Daniel Ricciardo later retired, triggering a virtual safety car. Lewis Hamilton used the opportunity to stop on lap 11, committing Mercedes to an early change while Kimi Räikkönen stayed out and retained strategic flexibility.

Kimi Räikkönen made his stop on lap 21. Max Verstappen, already charging through from the back, stopped shortly afterwards and emerged ahead of Valtteri Bottas, putting himself into the fight for the podium.

Lewis Hamilton‘s tyres could not comfortably carry him to the finish. A second stop on lap 38 left him chasing the leaders, and he passed Valtteri Bottas before closing on Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen.

The final laps produced a gripping three-car contest. Lewis Hamilton attacked Max Verstappen but ran wide during their battle and could not complete the move. Kimi Räikkönen held on for his first win since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix, with Verstappen second and Hamilton third.

Sebastian Vettel passed Valtteri Bottas late on for fourth, keeping the title mathematically alive. Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz led Renault‘s double points finish. Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen were subsequently disqualified for fuel-rule breaches, promoting Sergio Perez, Brendon Hartley and Marcus Ericsson into the final three points positions. Hamilton left with a 70-point championship lead.

2018 United States Grand Prix race results

The 2018 United States Grand Prix was held on 21 October 2018, with a scheduled start of 13:10 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	56	1:34:18.643	25
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	56	+1.281s	18
3	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	56	+2.342s	15
4	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	56	+18.222s	12
5	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	56	+24.744s	10
6	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	56	+87.210s	8
7	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	56	+94.994s	6
8	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	56	+101.080s	4
9	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	55	+1 lap	2
10	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	55	+1 lap	1
11	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	55	+1 lap	0
12	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	55	+1 lap	0
13	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	55	+1 lap	0
14	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	54	+2 laps	0
Ret	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	31	Collision damage	0
Ret	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	8	Battery	0
Ret	8	Romain Grosjean	Haas	2	Collision	0
Ret	14	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1	Collision	0
DSQ	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	56	Fuel	0
DSQ	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	56	Fuel	0

Esteban Ocon originally finished eighth, but was disqualified for exceeding fuel flow limits on lap 1.

Kevin Magnussen originally finished ninth, but was disqualified for consuming more than 105 kg of fuel during the race.

2018 United States Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time of Day	Time	Avg. Speed
1	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	40	14:21:42	1:37.392	203.782
2	33	Max Verstappen	Red Bull Racing	45	14:29:49	1:38.246	202.011
3	5	Sebastian Vettel	Ferrari	41	14:23:27	1:38.280	201.941
4	77	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes	46	14:31:40	1:38.470	201.551
5	7	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	45	14:29:47	1:38.482	201.527
6	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas	32	14:09:28	1:38.963	200.547
7	2	Stoffel Vandoorne	McLaren	42	14:26:49	1:39.240	199.987
8	27	Nico Hulkenberg	Renault	51	14:41:00	1:39.548	199.369
9	11	Sergio Perez	Racing Point Force India	36	14:16:11	1:39.569	199.327
10	10	Pierre Gasly	Toro Rosso	38	14:20:14	1:39.646	199.173
11	55	Carlos Sainz	Renault	45	14:31:06	1:39.858	198.750
12	28	Brendon Hartley	Toro Rosso	52	14:43:26	1:39.915	198.636
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Racing Point Force India	45	14:31:09	1:39.992	198.483
14	9	Marcus Ericsson	Sauber	33	14:11:29	1:40.098	198.273
15	18	Lance Stroll	Williams	49	14:39:51	1:40.433	197.612
16	35	Sergey Sirotkin	Williams	12	13:35:20	1:40.522	197.437
17	3	Daniel Ricciardo	Red Bull Racing	5	13:22:07	1:40.933	196.633
18	16	Charles Leclerc	Sauber	12	13:35:44	1:41.982	194.610

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear in this table. Time of Day is local time; average speeds are in km/h. No championship point was awarded for fastest lap in 2018.

2018 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings for drivers and teams after the 2018 United States Grand Prix.

2018 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	GBR	Mercedes	346
2	Sebastian Vettel	GER	Ferrari	276
3	Kimi Räikkönen	FIN	Ferrari	221
4	Valtteri Bottas	FIN	Mercedes	217
5	Max Verstappen	NED	Red Bull Racing	191
6	Daniel Ricciardo	AUS	Red Bull Racing	146
7	Nico Hulkenberg	GER	Renault	61
8	Sergio Perez	MEX	Force India / Racing Point Force India	57
9	Kevin Magnussen	DEN	Haas	53
10	Fernando Alonso	ESP	McLaren	50
11	Esteban Ocon	FRA	Force India / Racing Point Force India	49
12	Carlos Sainz	ESP	Renault	45
13	Romain Grosjean	FRA	Haas	31
14	Pierre Gasly	FRA	Toro Rosso	28
15	Charles Leclerc	MON	Sauber	21
16	Stoffel Vandoorne	BEL	McLaren	8
17	Marcus Ericsson	SWE	Sauber	7
18	Lance Stroll	CAN	Williams	6
19	Brendon Hartley	NZL	Toro Rosso	4
20	Sergey Sirotkin	RUS	Williams	1

2018 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Mercedes	563
2	Ferrari	497
3	Red Bull Racing	337
4	Renault	106
5	Haas	84
6	McLaren	58
7	Racing Point Force India	47
8	Toro Rosso	32
9	Sauber	28
10	Williams	7
EX	Force India	0

The original Force India entry was excluded from the championship before the Belgian Grand Prix and its 59 constructors’ points were forfeited. Racing Point Force India entered as a new constructor from Belgium; the drivers retained their points.

2018 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2018 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	25 March
2	2018 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	8 April
3	2018 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	15 April
4	2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix	Baku City Circuit, Baku	29 April
5	2018 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
6	2018 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
7	2018 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
8	2018 French Grand Prix	Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet	24 June
9	2018 Austrian Grand Prix	Red Bull Ring, Spielberg	1 July
10	2018 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
11	2018 German Grand Prix	Hockenheimring, Hockenheim	22 July
12	2018 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	29 July
13	2018 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	26 August
14	2018 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza	2 September
15	2018 Singapore Grand Prix	Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore	16 September
16	2018 Russian Grand Prix	Sochi Autodrom, Sochi	30 September
17	2018 Japanese Grand Prix	Suzuka International Racing Course, Suzuka	7 October
18	2018 United States Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas	21 October
19	2018 Mexican Grand Prix	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City	28 October
20	2018 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	11 November
21	2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi	25 November